Spice-Roasted Chicken with Cucumber Salad

, from Issue #56. January, 2016
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Spice-Roasted Chicken with Cucumber Salad

Chicken loves gutsy flavours and this is a great recipe for turning simple into a feast. Use a whole butterflied chicken, or chicken thighs if preferred. To eat, remove the meat from the bone and wrap in flatbreads with the accompaniments.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

12 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon each ground garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric
¼–½ teaspoon ground chilli
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cucumber salad
1 small telegraph cucumber
2 tablespoons olive oil
zest 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
To serve 
thick plain yoghurt
lemon wedges
watercress or rocket
warm flatbreads

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Chicken: Slash the meat twice in the thickest part of each drumstick. Combine the oil with all the remaining ingredients and add the chicken, turning to coat well in the spice mix. Place on a lined baking tray and roast for about 40 minutes, turning occasionally until golden and cooked through.

Salad: Halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Cut into small chunks. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a bowl then toss through the cucumber. 

To serve: Pile the chicken onto a board or platter. Serve with the cucumber salad, yoghurt, lemon wedges, watercress and flatbreads.